Just a Cup Wasn't Enough
by misskaterinab
Summary: Kurt finds a boy on a bench outside the Lima Bean and feels the need to "save" him. Turns out, Kurt needed to be saved, too. Written for SydneyTwilightMum as part of the FicAwesome Gift Exchange- 3some.


FicAwesome Gift Exchange- 3some  
>Title: Just a Cup Wasn't Enough<br>Written for: SydneyTwilightMum  
>Written By: misskaterinab<br>Rating: T  
>SummaryPrompt used: a cup of coffee – Kurt finds a boy on a bench outside the Lima Bean and feels the need to "save" him. Turns out, Kurt needed to be saved, too.

Special thanks to acrosstheskyinstars for the banner for this story.

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.  
>http : www. fanfiction. net/ community/ FAGE_3some/ 93625/ (remove all spaces to go to the link)

Kurt was running late. Very, very late. But he absolutely had to swing by The Lima Bean for his daily Grande nonfat mocha. Life at McKinley was hard enough to take. To ask him to do it uncaffeinated was just cruel and unusual punishment.

He was so late that he had absolutely no awareness of his surroundings. Had he looked a few feet to his right on his way in, he would have seen a boy approximately his own age huddled up on the bench outside the door. He would have noticed the boy's tears and his shivers in the cool fall air. But he was late. So late.

Finally holding a cup of elixir from the Gods, Kurt rushed back out to his Navigator. Perhaps if he put the pedal to the metal, he could make it to McKinley before first period started; he had given up on arriving in time to attend homeroom.

At that exact moment, the boy, wiping his tears with his sleeve, rose from the bench and began to leave. Neither he nor Kurt had been watching where they were going, and the precious cup of java was jostled violently and splashed both boys from head to toe.

"Dammit, watch where you're –" Kurt stopped in the middle of his rant when he noticed the boy's fear. His head was bowed, and he was terrified and cowering.

"I – I – I'm so s-s-sorry. I d-d-didn't mean to ruin your c-c-clothes. P-please don't h-h-hurt me!" the boy stuttered out with great difficulty, and as soon as the last word was spoken, he spun on his heel and took off running at full speed.

Kurt stood there, clothes rapidly soaking up the coffee, and stared after the boy. _What's his damage?_ he thought. Shrugging to himself, he decided that this day wasn't even worth trying to salvage. He would call his father and feign illness, and his father would call the school to excuse him for the day, no questions asked. He took the last few sips of his coffee that were left in the cup and sighed. It was too bad the whole cup had spilled – it was a damn good cup of coffee.

Kurt made sure to allow plenty of time to get his daily brew the next morning; once his father had arrived home the previous evening and discovered he wasn't sick and was merely playing hooky, he had scolded him and ordered him to attend school the next day.

He was able to take his time at the coffee shop that morning, and on his way in, he was surprised to notice that the boy from yesterday was there again. Or at least, he had assumed it was the boy from yesterday. The jacket, woefully inadequate for the weather, appeared to be the same from the tiny glimpse he had gotten of it before the boy had turned tail and run. He couldn't tell for sure, though, as the boy was sitting curled tightly into a little ball. If the tips of his shoes hadn't been sticking out just a little bit, Kurt wouldn't have been to tell which end of the boy was up.

"Hi," Kurt offered, but the boy didn't even twitch, let alone return his greeting. He stepped closer and tried again, but again, he received no answer. Shrugging, he turned around and went inside to go about the daily business of buying his coffee.

On a whim, he added a small cup of hot chocolate to his order. When the barista asked what name to write on the cup, he just told her to write his name on that one too.

After he picked up his order, he grabbed both cups and went directly outside. He set the cup of hot chocolate next to the boy, who was still huddled up on the bench.

"Hi," he started. "You looked cold so I brought you a hot drink. I didn't know if you liked coffee so I brought you a hot chocolate. I figured everyone likes that." He waited for a few short moments, but as no response was forthcoming, he decided he should probably be on his way to school. "Okay, well, I guess you're not going to speak to me. I've got to get going to school. I'd say see you later, but I really don't know if I'll see you later, and since you're not talking… Well, bye."

Kurt turned away from the boy on the bench and took a few steps toward his car. He stopped and turned around, addressing the boy again. "Before I go, my name is Kurt. I stop here every single morning before school to get a cup of coffee. If you ever wanna, you know, talk, just catch me this time on a weekday." Still nothing. "Okay, well, I've gotta get to school. I can't be late again. At least, not this week. Oh, and just so you know, I'm not mad at you for the coffee spill yesterday. It was an accident. Lord knows I've spilled coffee all over myself a bunch of times. Bye!"

He returned to the Navigator and got inside, pointing it toward McKinley. He had done all he could think of to do at this point. He had no idea why he felt compelled to befriend this boy. He hadn't really even properly seen his face, let alone spoken to him, but something about his fear rang a bell with Kurt. He felt that same kind of fear every time he walked down the same hallway as Karofsky. He had the permanent scars on his body and on his heart to prove it.

As Kurt pulled into the coffee shop's parking lot, he carefully scanned the front entrance looking for the boy on the bench. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he saw the empty bench. He had to admit, he had been looking forward to seeing the strange boy again, and he still had no idea why. He pulled his trench coat a little closer to his body as it was unseasonably cool that day, and he braved the whipping wind to go inside for his daily fix.

When he exited the building, a soft voice called his name. "Kurt?"

Kurt spun around quickly toward the bench to find the boy. He was standing this time, and Kurt was confused to notice that he was wearing coffee stained pants. He wasn't sure, but he had a hunch the boy was wearing the same clothes from several days ago. And this concerned him. Not due to the numerous fashion faux pas that the boy was committing by rewearing so soon, but he was worried that… what if he didn't have other clothes? What if there was more to this situation than Kurt was seeing on the surface?

"Oh hi! There you are. I looked for you as I came in, but I didn't see you. How are you this morning?"

The boy shrugged, and then he shivered.

"Don't you have a better jacket than that?"

The boy shook his head minutely, obviously starting to withdraw back into himself again.

"Would you tell me your name? I've been thinking about you the past couple of days, and it's getting old referring to you in my head as 'the boy on the bench at the coffee shop.'"

Despite himself, the boy managed to crack a tiny smile. "My name is Blaine."

Kurt couldn't help smiling in return. Blaine had a beautiful smile.

"Well, Blaine, it's nice to finally have a name to go with the face. As you know, my name is Kurt." He reached out his hand to shake Blaine's. Blaine was hesitant, but finally he offered his hand to Kurt. "Holy crap, Blaine, your hands are cold. How long have you been out here?" Blaine shrugged, and his face lost any bit of happiness he had shown earlier.

"Blaine, will you tell me about yourself? I know there's something going on here that you're not telling me. I… I just want to help, Blaine."

Blaine shook his head almost violently. "No, nothing's wrong. What makes you think anything's wrong? I just like to come sit here in the morning and people watch. That's all."

Kurt was skilled in the language of bullshit, and he was well aware that that was what Blaine was trying to feed him, but he knew it would be useless to try to call him out on it.

"Okay, cool. I've gotta go to school in a few minutes, but here. Hold my coffee cup for a couple of minutes and warm your hands up. Feel free to take a sip or two if you like mochas. They're my not-so-secret addiction. My other vice is diet coke. When I'm not drinking a mocha, I've got a diet coke in my hands. I would have got you a cup of something, but I didn't see you here when I got here. Hell, I don't even know if you liked the hot chocolate or if you prefer coffee or what." Kurt was well aware that he was rambling, but at least if he was rambling, he was speaking about himself and not tempted to ask Blaine the invasive questions that were swarming his head.

"Thank you for the cocoa," Blaine said quietly. "I like plain black coffee, too, but you don't have to get me anything." He took a sip of Kurt's coffee before handing it back to him. "Mmm, this is good, too."

"I know, right? One day I ordered a small mocha, and I practically inhaled it, it tasted so good. And every school day since then, I've ordered a Grande just to make it through my day. My school day is a bitch to make it through for someone like me."

Kurt tossed his messenger bag over his shoulder and got up from the bench. "Well, I'm off like a prom dress. You gonna be here tomorrow?"

Blaine considered Kurt's question. "I might."

"Good enough. Nice to officially meet you, Blaine."

"You too, Kurt."

Kurt waved behind him as he headed off to his vehicle. His mind was already racing with how he was going to drag Blaine's story out of him. And those coffee stained clothes – what was the deal with those?

_Oh well, another day of hell to get through before I can see what else I can find out,_ he thought. _Happy, happy, joy, joy._

Kurt gingerly stepped out of his car and limped his way toward the coffee shop that morning. He was so sore. Karofsky hadn't stopped at just shoulder checking him into a closed locker door like usual. No. He seemed to have an agenda that day. Not only did he get the expected shoulder check, but Karofsky had tossed him in an open locker, the shelf inside hitting him right at neck level and causing him an unsightly bruise. As the piece de resistance, Karofsky had ALSO decided that it would be a wonderful day to trip Kurt, and Kurt had face-planted spectacularly on the sticky tile floors of McKinley. He narrowly escaped breaking his nose when he hit the floor, which Kurt considered quite fortunate. He could ignore the pains in his legs and torso when he walked, and he had a scarf for every occasion in his wardrobe to hide the bruise on his neck, but his father would notice a smashed nose.

_Fuck, this hurts,_ Kurt thought to himself. He couldn't very well ask his father to let him stay home for the day without providing an explanation, and that was the last thing he wanted to do, so he decided to just endure it. But this was just insane. He was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with him other than just aches and pains.

He was so engrossed in his current misery that somehow he managed to miss Blaine, who was perched in his usual spot on the bench. Or, he was until he noticed how stiffly and carefully Kurt was moving. He vaulted himself from the bench and ran to Kurt's side. "Kurt, what happened? Are you okay?"

Kurt sighed heavily. He didn't really feel like getting into it, but he figured if he couldn't open up to Blaine, how in the world could he expect Blaine to open up to him? "I have a bully at school. He's this giant Neanderthal that takes it upon himself to try to punish me for being who I am. He was extra nasty to me yesterday. I had three run-ins with him, and I think my last intimate relationship with the floor did me in."

"You're favoring your right shoulder and left knee just by the way you're standing and walking," Blaine stated. "Mind if I…?" He gestured at Kurt, asking permission to check him over.

"Do you have extensive first aid training?" Kurt asked with a chuckle.

Blaine's expression was solemn. "I have too much experience with this kind of thing. Now shush and let me see." Blaine gently pressed his fingers along Kurt's shoulder until he hit a spot where Kurt winced.

"SHIT. That hurt. What did you do?"

"Honestly, I hardly touched you. You need to get an x-ray. You might have a crack or chip in there somewhere. A bump or bruise wouldn't make you jump like that."

Blaine lowered himself to the ground and checked Kurt's knee. It didn't appear that anything was wrong with the knee except for a nasty bruise and an ache that would probably be around for a few days.

"I think it's okay. Just ice it and elevate it and take some ibuprofen. But get the shoulder checked, okay?"

"Blaine, how – "

"Drop it, Kurt," Blaine practically growled. Kurt, surprised by the sudden force behind Blaine's words, could do nothing but comply with his request.

"I gotta get my coffee and get moving. I'm moving slower today, so I'm going to need the extra time. C'mon. I'll buy you a coffee to thank you for your services, Dr. Blaine," he said smiling, hoping the boy would join him.

"You're going to school? Kurt, I think you should go to the emergency room and get checked out sooner rather than later."

"I really shouldn't miss more school. My dad will KILL me if he finds out I skipped."

"I should hardly think he would mind if you skipped school to go to the ER."

"I'm going to have to make up a good story as to what the hell happened." Blaine's oddly triangular eyebrows rose as Kurt said this. "Okay, I'll go, but only if you come with me."

A look of sheer panic flashed across Blaine's face before he could hide it. "Me? Why? You don't need me with you to get your shoulder x-rayed."

"But I could use some moral support, and it's probably going to be a long wait. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to, and I'd like to get to know you a little better, Blaine. You seem to be the kind of guy I could be good friends with."

Blaine hesitated. On one hand, he thought he could be good friends with Kurt, also, but on the other hand, friends told each other stuff. He had stuff he didn't want to tell anyone. But Kurt was so nice, and he actually seemed to care…

"Well, okay."

"Oh thank God," Kurt sighed in relief. "I really didn't want to go it alone. But Blaine, I really do need my coffee. Let me just go in and get it, and then I'll be ready to go." Kurt stood up too quickly from his seat on the bench, and his knee immediately buckled underneath him. "Holy hell that hurts!" he cried as his eyes began to water from the pain.

Thankfully, Blaine was there to catch and support Kurt before he crumpled to the ground. He guided him back onto the bench. "Okay, you're getting that knee checked out, too. It's starting to look like I'm wrong about the severity. Anything else they're going to need to know about at the hospital?"

Slowly, Kurt pulled down the scarf around his neck, and the deep purple bruise that had been inflicted upon him by the locker shelf stuck out like a sore thumb against his porcelain white skin.

"Damn, Kurt," Blaine winced as he saw it. "The hospital is going to insist on a police report."

"NO, Blaine. I fell against the lockers at school. I was running to get to class, and I tripped and fell into someone's locker before I hit the floor. THAT. IS. WHAT. HAPPENED," he stated firmly.

"Okay okay okay," Blaine said, throwing his hands up in an "I surrender" gesture. "Come on. Let's get going."

"Wait, I need my coffee," Kurt began struggling to stand up again.

"SIT," Blaine commanded. I'll go get your precious coffee, Kurt. You gotta give me some money, though – I don't have any on me."

Kurt dug a $10 bill out of his pocket and handed it to Blaine. "Get yourself something, too. Grande non-fat mocha, please."

"Don't worry, I know your coffee order."

"Wait. I've told you the Grande mocha part, but not the non-fat part."

"Oh puh-lease," Blaine said. "Just look at you." He made a Vanna White-like gesture at Kurt's body. "THAT does not look like you drink full fat coffee drinks every day."

Kurt realized something in that moment. He thought to himself, _I think that boy might just like what he sees, and if that's the case, that explains a few things._

Blaine noticed the figurative light bulb flicker on above Kurt's head and hurriedly made his way into the coffee shop to get their drinks before he could say anything else to incriminate him. He felt his face flushing and hoped like hell Kurt didn't see.

Blaine came out of the coffee shop with two cups and a bag. Blaine handed the bag to Kurt. "The barista is so sweet," he said. "She immediately asked about you when she saw me come in instead of you, and when I told her you were hurt and resting out here, she loaded up this bag with free goodies."

"Yeah, Becca's a darling. She flirts with me constantly, but she's just not my type. Come on, you wanted me to go get checked out, let's go. As we've seen before, though, it's looking like you're gonna have to help my gimpy ass to my car. Here's my keys – why don't you put our drinks in the console and then come back here to help me, okay?"

Blaine agreed and did as he was asked. He got underneath Kurt's shoulder and helped him stand, and then he put his arm around Kurt's waist and couldn't help thinking that his arm felt really good there.

_Wow, his arm feels really good around my waist,_ Kurt thought.

"Do you want me to drive?" Blaine asked.

"No, thanks. My driving knee is still okay, so I should be all right. Besides, no offense to you since this applies to everyone, but I don't let anyone drive my car. This is kind of my baby."

Blaine nodded and helped Kurt make it the last few feet to his Navigator and reluctantly took his arm off Kurt's waist. He put both palms on Kurt's back to steady him as he balanced on his bad leg to step up into the vehicle with his good one.

"How in the world did you get in this car by yourself this morning? Seriously, you look like you're in misery right now."

"I don't know. I guess I was too engrossed in trying to hide it from my dad that I didn't even have a chance to think about how much pain I was in."

Kurt effectively ended the conversation by closing his door, and Blaine took that as his cue to jog around to the passenger side to get in.

"Feel free to grab a snack out of the bag, but please do your best not to drop crumbs or I may cry," Kurt said overdramatically.

Blaine giggled and set the bag off to the side. "Maybe I'll just wait until we're in the waiting room to munch so I don't have to worry about your wrath."

"My reputation precedes me, I see!"

"Nah, it's okay though. I'm not really hungry. The coffee is more what I needed than anything else. Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome. What did you get?"

"Just a medium drip. It's my usual. When I manage to treat myself, that is."

The conversation flowed freely until they got to the emergency room. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Blaine tensed up considerably, and Kurt couldn't help but notice. "Blaine?" he asked.

"Nothing. Come on, let's get you in there."

Blaine helped Kurt back out of his car, and together they hobbled into the ER. The nurse at the reception desk looked up, and just as she was about to greet the pair, recognition flickered in her eyes. "Oh Blaine, honey, what now?"

He shook his head nearly imperceptibly, as if to say Not now. "It's my friend Kurt. He had a run-in at school yesterday with a locker and the floor, and he's feeling it especially hard today. I talked him into coming and getting his knee and shoulder checked out."

"I can see that. Here, Kurt, lean up against the desk for a moment, and Blaine, why don't you go over against that wall over there and get a wheelchair for Kurt? We don't want to make him walk any more than necessary if he's feeling this poorly."

While Blaine went to get the chair as requested, the nurse kept Kurt busy with check in forms and insurance information and all the obnoxious paperwork one had to deal with in any medical facility. When it was completed, Kurt lowered himself into the wheelchair and sat back. "Oh, thank God. My good leg is starting to ache from overcompensating."

Blaine wheeled Kurt into the main waiting area and parked him next to an empty seat that he claimed for himself.

"It's too bad my shoulder is out, too," Kurt said. "My show choir performed a number in wheelchairs once as kind of a way to honor one of our members who is in a wheelchair for life, and I got pretty good at spinning around in these things."

"Really? I was in a show choir, too. I love to sing." Sadness began to make its way across Blaine's face, and he fell silent. Kurt had so many questions for Blaine, and he didn't think most of them would be anything Blaine would want to talk about, but he had to ask.

"Blaine? Why did that nurse seem to know you so well? And why did it seem like this wasn't the first, or even the second time you've been seen here?"

Blaine said nothing, but Kurt noticed that his lip began to tremble and his eyes got all glassy. After a moment, he choked out a sob, and tears began to stream out of his eyes like rivers.

Kurt's heart sank, and instinctively, he pulled Blaine into an awkward hug. "Sweetie, it's okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here."

Blaine buried his face in Kurt's good shoulder and cried for several minutes. Kurt chanced a glance at the nurses' station and saw that the nurse who had checked him in was watching them carefully.

Finally, the sobs started to dissipate, and the tear streaks on his face dried. He raised his face from Kurt's shoulder and sniffed deeply, wiping his face on his sleeve. "I'm sorry I got snot all over you."

"It's okay. Thankfully, this is not one of my usual dry clean only outfits. I was feeling a little less fashionably ambitious this morning, for obvious reasons."

Blaine sat back in his chair and Kurt could see the wheels turning in his head.

After a few minutes of silence, Kurt figured Blaine wasn't going to tell him, so he started to reach in his pocket to pull out his phone and check for messages.

"Myfatherbeatsme," Blaine mumbled quickly, anxious to get it out before he lost his nerve. "I've never been what he wanted. He wanted a football player. He got a musician. He wanted a straight A student. He got someone who struggled for every B+ he got. He wanted someone to follow in his footsteps into the family business. He got someone who wants to get as far away from the family business as possible, as soon as possible. Every time I disappointed him, he beat me into the floorboards. I've gotten lucky that he's done no permanent damage. Physically, anyway."

Kurt gasped and dropped his phone. "Blaine, I – "

"Don't you dare say you're sorry or pity me or anything. I don't want that. You wanted to know why they know me here. Now you know."

Kurt heaved a great sigh and covered his face with his hands. Wow. He didn't expect this at all today when he dragged himself to the Lima Bean today.

"You got a lot of answers in one shot, there, Kurt," Blaine said seriously. "Mind if I ask for some myself?"

Kurt shook his head slightly and made a "go ahead" gesture with his hand.

"You've made some references to 'someone like me' and 'being who I am.' Who ARE you, Kurt?"

_Who am I?_ he thought. _Damn good question, Blaine. Damn good question._

"I am Kurt Hummel. I'm the countertenor in my school's Glee club. Read that: I sing like a girl, and I have a higher range than most of them in the club. I speak French fluently, and I am the French teacher's pet. I adore Broadway musicals and go to the sing-along Sound of Music every year to honor my mother who passed away; I was named after one of the Von Trapp children. I love fashion. And most importantly, at least, to those who choose to make it a big deal, I am McKinley's only openly gay student. Which is why I'm constantly harassed. I get slushies to the face, I get called the most horrid, horrid names, and as you can see, I get tossed into the wall on a far too regular basis." Kurt's voice was shaky and his tears were streaming down his face.

It was Kurt's turn to cry and Blaine's turn to comfort. Not wanting to hurt Kurt too much, he merely grabbed both of Kurt's hands in his.

"Kurt, there's something else I should tell – "

"KURT HUMMEL?" called a nurse.

Blaine sighed. So much for his confession. He hopped up and steered Kurt toward the treatment room and met the nurse that was standing there waiting. The nurse seemed surprised to see Blaine there with Kurt, but she kept quiet until they got to the treatment room. She took Kurt's vitals and prepped him to see the doctor, and then on her way out she tugged on Blaine's jacket to have him follow her out of the room.

"I'll be right back, Kurt, unless you don't need me to stay…?" Blaine said.

"Oh, no, you can come back. I appreciate the company," Kurt was quick to reply.

Once outside of the room, the nurse asked him quietly, "Are you okay, sweetie? I see you're not the one being wheeled in this time."

"Yeah, thankfully. I'm pretty sure you won't see me back here on the receiving end anytime soon though."

"Oh really? I've heard that before, honey. How do you figure?"

"Something… happened… recently. Listen, I haven't even told Kurt this yet, and he's become such a good friend so quickly, and he knows something's up, so I kinda feel like I owe him to tell him this first."

The nurse noticed Blaine flush slightly when he mentioned Kurt being a good friend. "A good _friend_, huh? Kurt's gorgeous, too – I don't suppose that has anything to do with it?" Blaine blushed deeper and was opening his mouth to speak again as a doctor arrived at the treatment room and walked inside.

"You better go, hon, if he wanted you in there. We'll talk again, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed and gave the nurse a quick hug on his way back into the room. He slipped in quietly and the doctor was just beginning to check out Kurt's shoulder. He took Kurt's arm and rotated his shoulder gently, and Kurt winced.

"Does it just hurt, or does it feel like something might be grinding in there?" the doctor asked.

"No, it just hurts like fucking hell," Kurt gritted out through his teeth. "Sorry."

"That's okay, kid. I've heard far worse. I'm definitely going to want to x-ray that shoulder." He typed a couple of quick notes onto the computer in the room, and he faced Kurt again. "Now, what else did you hurt?"

"I landed on my left knee. I think it's just painful, but it didn't seem to want to support me this morning after I had been sitting down for a short period of time, so who knows."

The doctor examined his knee and came to the conclusion that he just needed a couple of days rest and ice and the knee would be much better. "Do get it re-examined if it isn't much improved in a few days." Kurt nodded, promising he would.

"Now, I'm going to give you this gown, and you can strip to the waist. The nurse will be back in a few minutes to take you back to x-ray to get a better look at your shoulder." The doctor pulled a gown out of the drawer in the exam table and left the room.

"Do you need any help, Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"No, I should be okay, but, um… can you turn around?" Kurt asked shyly.

"Oh, um yeah, of course." He turned to face the wall, and a few moments later, Kurt gave him the go ahead to turn back around to face him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm kinda scared, actually. If they find anything, I'm not going to be able to hide this from my dad."

"Why is it that you want to hide from your dad, anyway? Is he not a nice guy?"

"Oh God, no," Kurt blurted out. "No, my dad is awesome. He's been the best dad AND mom that I could ever ask for. Even though he doesn't always understand me, he's always supportive of me. But… a few months ago, Dad had a heart attack and almost died. He was in a coma for a week. I don't really have any other family. I mean, he has a girlfriend, Carole, and I am in Glee club with her son Finn, but she doesn't have any legal ties to me. I guess I'm just afraid that if I stress him out too much, something will happen again and I won't get so lucky next time."

"Don't you think holding it all back until it turns into a bigger deal will be even more stressful on him?"

"I guess I was hoping I could just hide it until it all went away and then it'd be a non-issue…"

"This kind of thing rarely just goes away. You need to tell him, Kurt, before it gets even worse than this. This is already in 'bad' territory. Don't let it escalate to 'worse.'"

"Will you go with me when I tell him? I mean, I've only known you for a couple of days, but I already feel like I've known you forever."

"Sure. It'll be okay Kurt, you'll see." Blaine squeezed Kurt's upper arm in what was meant to be a comforting gesture, but Kurt cringed hard. "Oh shit, Kurt, what did I do?" Catching a glimpse of something dark on Kurt's arm just peeking below the edge of the sleeve of his gown, Blaine pushed up slightly and found small, dark bruised, perfectly shaped like fingers. Blaine tried to hold back a growl. "What did he do to you, Kurt?" he said in a low voice.

"He grabbed me really hard with one hand and used my arm as leverage to throw me into the lockers," Kurt said with his head hung.

"We're going to see your dad the minute we leave here. This has got to end, Kurt. And he needs to see your injuries before they fade so there's proof."

The nurse arrived to escort Kurt to x-ray, so Blaine helped Kurt hop back into the wheelchair and the nurse took him away. Blaine sat back down to wait for Kurt's return. His concern for his new friend gave him something to take his mind off his own troubles. Though with Kurt's arrival in his life came an entirely new issue to think about, too. The nurse hadn't been wrong. Kurt was definitely gorgeous…

Kurt was wheeled back into the room, and the doctor followed behind him holding his x-rays. "Looks like you've got a cracked clavicle, Kurt. Not really a whole lot you can do about it except limit your movement, and I'll give you a sling for your arm to help with that, and ice it. You can take your over-the-counter pain reliever of choice to help with any pain that you have. I'm going to recommend you stay home from school until at least Monday – I'd let you go back tomorrow, but with your leg temporarily out of commission as well, you're going to have a hard enough time getting around."

Kurt sighed dramatically. "Well, this is going to suck."

Blaine laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be there with you. Hopefully your dad won't freak out too much when there is someone there to soften the blow."

"I hope not," Kurt said skeptically.

Blaine averted his eyes to allow Kurt privacy to get dressed, and after he had been set up with a sling for his arm, Blaine wheeled him out into the waiting room.

"Why are we stopping here?"

"I have something else you need to know before we head off to see your dad, and THE NURSE THAT I SEE LURKING IN THE DOORWAY WANTED TO KNOW,TOO," he said, raising his voice to let the nurse know that yes, in fact, he DID see her over there hovering. "I tried to tell you after you told me your own troubles, but I was interrupted by them calling you back to an exam room."

Kurt watched Blaine fidget but remain silent 'til he couldn't take it anymore. "Come on, Blaine, what is it? I hope you know you can tell me anything."

"I know with your extreme interest in fashion, you've noticed my clothes the past few days, and how they haven't changed. Um, the reason for that is…"

Blaine took a couple of deep breaths and looked almost as if he was in pain. "God, I'm not used to talking about this."

"About what, Blaine?" Kurt urged.

"Well… I just came out to my parents this weekend. And as it was the final straw in a long line of disappointments for my father, he kicked me out. On the spot. I have only the clothes on my back. Well, I have keys and my cell phone, too, but my car got locked up, my cell phone got turned off almost immediately after I left, and a couple of hours later I saw a locksmith at my… at my father's house. So, yeah. I'm wearing the same clothes because I don't HAVE any others."

Kurt sucked in a deep breath. "Blaine, I'm so sorry to hear – "

"Don't…" Blaine warned.

" – that your father is a raging asshole."

Blaine laughed a deep belly laugh. "Nice save, Kurt."

Kurt grinned. "Okay, so you're gay. Handy piece of information to have. And you know I've been there, done that, still doing it, so I can empathize. But we've gotta figure out what it is we can do about your situation."

"Kurt, no. You have enough to deal with right now. I can deal…"

"Blaine? Where are you staying?"

"Um, nowhere, really…"

"And what are you eating?"

"There's a soup kitchen downtown…"

"And how about school?"

"Well, I was going to Dalton Academy, but I'd be willing to bet he cut me off there, too."

"So you're saying you have no shelter, no food, no possessions of any sort, and you can't go to school. Yep, it sure sounds like you're dealing okay and you don't need any help. Seriously Blaine? Come on. We'll go back to my house. At MINIMUM we can wash the clothes you're wearing now and feed you. But I'm sure we can do better than that. Push me to my car, and let's get this over with."

Sensing that there would be no point whatsoever in arguing with Kurt, he silently did as he was told. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" he asked, wondering if it wouldn't be awkward for him to drive with a sling.

"I think I'll be fine, but I will let you know if I change my mind."

They rode in silence for a few minutes.

"Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for not being mad at me when I ran into you and made you spill your coffee. And thanks for trying to make friends with me."

Kurt turned and flashed a dazzling smile at Blaine before he focused his eyes back on the road. "I've never been this happy to have had to have coffee dry cleaned out of my favorite outfit."

A few more silent moments passed, and Blaine asked again, "Kurt?"

Kurt chuckled lightly. "What is it?"

"If your arm wasn't in that sling, would it have been out of line for me to hold your hand?"

Allowing himself an internal fist pump, Kurt smiled softly and said, "No, not at all."

"Oh man, you guys just HAVE to have steps up to your door, don't you?" Blaine teased.

"Shush, you! At least I'm not that heavy. A shorty like you would have trouble hauling a guy like Finn up the steps."

"Hey, I'm not short. I just grew out instead of up for a little while."

"Oh yes, because you're SO FAT and everything."

"HUUUUUUGE!"

It didn't take them long to figure out that they were both sarcastic, quick witted… and flirty. The last ten minutes before they had reached the Hummels' had been a steady stream of lighthearted jabs and the cheesiest pickup lines that they could come up with. By the time they had climbed the three steps to the front door, they were breathing heavily not only from the exertion of getting an injured Kurt up the steps but also from laughing so hard at and with each other. As soon as Kurt turned the key in the lock, however, he sobered up quickly.

"All right, shit's about to get real. I'll call my dad down and we can get this little pow wow over with."

Blaine nodded solemnly.

"Dad, are you home?" Kurt called up the stairs.

"Yeah, just a minute, be right down."

Burt Hummel made his way down the stairs about five minutes later. Blaine had helped Kurt settle in on the sofa and was just re-entering the room with the ice pack from the freezer for Kurt's knee.

Burt took a double-take. "Kurt, what in the hell happened to you?"

"Hey Dad. First of all, this is my friend Blaine. He's been helping me hobble around today."

"Hello, Blaine. Nice to meet you. Start talking, Kurt."

Kurt took a deep breath and started telling Burt about his troubles with Dave Karofsky, the guy who had been bullying him for quite some time.

"It wasn't really too bad at first. It was just a 'fag' here, a 'homo' there, but no real touching. About six weeks or so ago, it started to escalate. He'd slam my locker door on me, or he'd grab whatever I was carrying and toss it on the ground. Then it got more physical – he'd use my messenger bag against me by yanking the strap and spinning me into the wall. Two weeks ago, he slammed me into my locker, and I just snapped, Dad. I followed him into the locker room and demanded to know what his problem was. He spewed some homophobic bullshit, I called him a few names, and then…"

"Kurt, what is it? Just tell me," urged his father.

After taking a moment to calm himself, Kurt went on. "He kissed me. I didn't want it. Not at all. He let me go, I began hyperventilating, and he ran from the locker room."

Blaine gasped. Kurt hadn't mentioned this. Granted, they hadn't known each other long, and they didn't delve very far into this particular issue, but SHIT. You could almost call that sexual assault. Hell, he didn't know. Maybe you could.

"The next day, Karofsky met me at my locker. He told me… he told me that if I ever told anyone what he did, he would… k-kill me."

Kurt's father looked equal parts sick, devastated, and enraged. He shot out of his chair. "NOT IF I KILL HIM FIRST," he seethed.

Forgetting momentarily that he was injured, Kurt struggled to get out of his chair. "Dad, PLEASE, calm down," he begged. "You're still recovering. Please, please just sit."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's good arm gently and pulled him back down into his seat. "You need to stay off that leg, Kurt," he said softly.

"I'm only sitting if he does," Kurt conceded.

"Mr. Hummel, please…"

Burt looked at Blaine for a moment, and then he nodded and sat back down. "Fine. Go on. You still haven't told me what caused these particular injuries I'm looking at here," he said, gesturing at Kurt.

"Yesterday, somehow Karofsky got it into his head that I had told someone. Which I HADN'T. He made it a point to catch me in the hall between classes every time he could. The first time, he got up right next to my face and slammed his fist into his palm, which didn't hurt me, but it scared the HELL out of me. The second time, he grabbed my arm –"

"Making one helluva bruise," Blaine interjected.

" – and threw me into the lockers," Kurt continued. "I don't know if it was that that gave me the cracked clavicle," he gestured at his shoulder with his good arm, "or the third time when he tripped me and I flew spectacularly through the air and landed on my knee on the floor. I had to kind of roll to keep my face out of the floor."

"Why didn't you tell me all of this, Kurt? Or why didn't you tell a teacher, or the principal?"

Blaine noticed that Kurt looked like he might start breaking down. Kurt's hand was resting on the sofa, so he sneaked his pinky finger over and hooked it around Kurt's and squeezed. It was a tiny gesture, but Kurt cracked a quick, slight smile when he felt the touch, so Blaine knew it was appreciated.

"Dad, the doctor said we need to keep your life as stress free as possible. I didn't want to worry you. I thought I could tough it out until Karofsky got tired of harassing me. As far as the teachers and the principal, you know as well as I do that in matters of keeping the student body in line, they are absolutely worthless."

"Kurt, you are my son. Stressful or not, it is my job to keep you fed, clothed, sheltered, educated, loved, and SAFE. If there's anyone or anything interfering with any of those things, I need to know about it so I can fix it. It tears me up inside to see you sitting here busted up and I didn't even know there was any trouble. How can I keep you safe if you don't tell me when things are wrong?"

He turned to Blaine. "What about you? Do the kids at McKinley harass you too?"

"I don't go to McKinley. I used to go to Dalton Academy."

"Oh really? Where do you go now?"

"Um…" Blaine hesitated.

Kurt broke in. "Well, actually, Dad, that's something else we need to talk to you about. Blaine needs help."

Kurt told Burt about how he and Blaine met. He told him about the hospital visit and how Blaine had become so much of a regular in the emergency room that the nurses knew him. Kurt saw his father's eyes begin to narrow and his fists begin to clench in anger for Blaine. "Dad…" he said, pointing to his balled up fists. Burt relaxed only a tiny bit and asked Kurt to finish speaking.

"Long story short, Blaine came out and his father threw him out. Which is probably a blessing in disguise for him if his father's been using him as a punching bag. But now he has absolutely nothing. No home, no belongings, no food, no school, nothing."

Burt put his head in his hands and thought for a few moments. When he looked up, out of the corner of his eye he noticed his son's hand on Blaine's knee in what he was sure was meant to be a comforting gesture. He heard Kurt whisper, "It'll be okay, Blaine."

Rubbing his temples with his fingertips, he addressed Blaine. "Okay, so Blaine. First things first, I guess. Do you think there is any way your folks will let you come home, either to stay or to get things?"

"No sir, I really don't. The locks were changed and my cell phone was cut off within two hours of me being kicked out. And my mom is terrified of my dad. Even if I could get her to let me in, I highly doubt there is anything left to get."

Burt sighed. He and his wife had always wanted more children after Kurt, but it wasn't meant to be. He could never understand why anyone could treat their own flesh and blood in such horrible ways when there were other people out there who wanted kids so badly but couldn't have them.

"Okay, well, I guess we're going to have to start making some phone calls. Kurt, you go ahead and get on the Facebook or that Tweeter thing or whatever it is you spend so much time on online and start begging your friends for clothes and whatever other stuff they might have extra that it might be nice for Blaine to have. You'll need to ask them for a place for him to stay, too."

Kurt's head whipped up from his phone where he was composing a mass text so quickly that his shoulder throbbed in protest. "What? I kind of thought he could stay with us. I mean, we have the guest bedroom and more than enough space for three people, and I don't mind sharing my bathroom…"

"I'm gonna level with you. Blaine, kid, I like you. You were there for my son when he needed someone, and you're still here now, and he needs someone like that in his life. And I can tell you're a good kid that just got a shitty set of parents. I'm sure you'll be okay now that you're out from under your father's fist. But I can't have you stay here." He held up his hand to silence Kurt's inevitable protest before continuing on. "Just a few minutes in your presence, boys, I can already tell that you two are going to become something even more special to each other than you already are. You two don't realize it, I can see that by the looks you're giving me right now, but you've known each other, what, four days?" Both boys nodded. "Four days, and there is already something much, much deeper there. And because of that, Blaine, I can't let you stay here, because I can't have my teenage son and his boyfriend living in the same house. You are welcome to spend as much time as you want here when I'm around, but your nights must be spent elsewhere. Okay?"

"Dad, what if no one else will take him in?"

"We'll figure it out. But in the meantime, get to steppin'. I will need to call Dalton and see if Blaine is still enrolled, and if not, I've got to get his transcripts sent over to McKinley. Sorry Blaine, but I don't think any of Kurt's friends' parents can afford to send you to Dalton. You'll have to go to school with Kurt."

"Oh God, no, I would never expect anyone to pay for Dalton."

Burt stood from his chair and approached Blaine. "I'm sorry you're stuck in such an awful mess. I just met you, but I want to help you. One thing about Kurt, he's got really good judgment in people he chooses to befriend and trust. We'll get you set up somewhere." He clapped Blaine on the shoulder. "I'll make the call to Dalton in a few minutes. I'll need you to sit in on the call with me to answer any questions they might have."

"Thanks Mr. Hummel. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, kid."

Burt left the room and Kurt took a moment to check his texts. He had received multiple texts from almost all of his friends, everyone offering something. Everyone had extra clothes to share. "I think Artie would be about your height if he could stand – his pants would probably fit you, but you probably don't want any shirts from him. He's got the world's largest hideous sweater vest collection. As far as shirts, I think Mike's would probably work best because I think Finn wears talls, and you are most decidedly not a talls kind of guy."

Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt. "You're going there again, huh?" he said sarcastically.

"Mercedes, Rachel, and Santana are a little more spoiled than the rest of the group, so they've got an extra phone, iPod, and laptop to share if you're interested. As long as we don't need to buy you a phone, we'll put you on our plan for now. Um…" Kurt scrolled through the texts scanning for the answer to the most pressing issue – where could Blaine stay.

Mike's parents were too strict. Tina's parents didn't want an unrelated boy in their house, gay or not. Mercedes' family was squished in their home as it was. Sam's family was living with his grandma. Santana and Puck hadn't yet responded, but Kurt was hoping against hope that someone else would be able to step up and take him in, because those two would probably scare Blaine away. Burt and Carole were planning on combining households soon, so Finn's house was out. Quinn's mom trusted no one around Quinn after the whole pregnancy thing last year.

He opened the last two texts. "Oh wow," he breathed.

"What?"

"We have two offers of places for you to stay. Brittany and Rachel both offered."

"Who do you think I should choose?"

Kurt had to think about it for a bit. "Well, Rachel's got two dads. They'd been together for years even before they had Rachel with a surrogate. So you'd have some role models there. But Rachel is REALLY difficult to be around sometimes. She's sweet, and she's one of my best friends, but there are almost more times I'd rather throttle her than hug her. Brittany, on the other hand, her parents work a lot and are hardly ever home, so they let her do pretty much anything she wants. She's not the brightest crayon in the box, but she makes up for it by being one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet in your life. She's never met someone who wasn't a friend. She will always be there for you, but she'll probably be a bit clingy. Despite being one of the most popular kids in school, she still craves the approval and companionship."

"Man, tough choice. Gut reaction, where should I go?"

"Gut reaction? Brittany. Rachel's dads are great, but Rachel is a drama queen. Even more than I am. You've had more than enough drama in your life."

Blaine nodded. "The idea of living a low drama life is kind of appealing. Being homeless for days was better than living with my dad lately."

Kurt's face fell when Blaine said that. "Blaine…"

"No, Kurt, things are already getting better. You and your dad have shown me more love today than my family has in years." Blaine turned and gave Kurt a huge hug.

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine whispered in his ear.

Burt walked in the room just as they were pulling apart from their hug. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Kurt as if to say, See? Told ya.

"Blaine, let's go talk to Dalton. Kurt, any news?"

"Everyone's been generous with their stuff, and I think we can get Blaine set up okay. And Brittany and Rachel offered to take him in. We've decided to accept Brittany's offer."

"Brittany? Isn't Rachel your best friend? Why not her?"

"Really Dad? Have you not MET Rachel?"

Burt chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Blaine will probably want to kill her within a day. She's… an acquired taste, I guess would be a nice way to put it."

Kurt and Burt both had a laugh at that.

"Everyone's going to bring their extra stuff here in an hour so I don't have to waste my energy running around getting it, and after he's picked out what he wants, then I'll bring him to Brittany's house. I can at least manage that much."

"Sounds great, Kurt. Come with me, Blaine."

Blaine and Burt discovered that Blaine's parents had immediately cancelled his enrollment in Dalton Academy as well, so Burt arranged for Blaine to attend McKinley beginning the following Monday. Kurt's friends in the New Directions all arrived with piles and piles of extra items they no longer needed, and after Blaine had picked out what he wanted, they all had an impromptu swap meet. Everyone went home with an armful of new-to-them goodies.

Brittany was beside herself with excitement for Blaine's arrival. She told Kurt that she was looking forward to having her very own dolphin in the house. Blaine had been very confused, but Kurt told him that that was the first in a very, very long line of confusing things that Brittany would say, and it was best to just go with it without question. Her response alone to having Blaine as a house guest made Kurt glad they had chosen her over Rachel. He knew she would treat Blaine well.

Kurt and Blaine spent a long weekend Skype-ing and just getting to know each other. Blaine didn't have a ride to Kurt's house, and Kurt had promised his dad that he would stay home and rest, so they weren't able to see each other. However, thanks to the old (albeit pink) laptop that Rachel had given him, they were able to talk to each other for hours.

On Monday morning, Kurt picked up Blaine extra early at Brittany's house for the ride to school. His leg was much better, but his arm was still in the sling, and would be for some time yet. Despite doing almost nothing but chatting together online all weekend, the car was filled with excited banter between the two boys. It didn't feel as if they would ever run out of things to talk about.

They arrived at the Bean, and although Kurt was moving much more easily, Blaine rushed around to Kurt's door to help him out of the car. They made their way to the entrance of the coffee shop, and Kurt thought he saw Blaine smile at "their" bench in front.

After they ordered their drinks, the usual Grande non-fat mocha for Kurt and a medium drip for Blaine, they chose a table in a semi-private corner to relax for a few moments before they had to leave for school.

"So, are you nervous about starting McKinley?" Kurt asked.

"I'm even more nervous than I thought I would be. I know you said Karofsky got kicked out, but what if there are others that feel the same way he does about gay people and are just waiting to take his place? And what will they do when they find out there's now two of us?"

While the rest of Thursday was spent taking care of Blaine's immediate needs, Friday was spent filing complaints against Karofsky. Burt drove Kurt to the police station where they took Kurt's statement and photographed his injuries. The doctor from the hospital was also contacted. This resulted in a restraining order against Karofsky. Between Kurt's statement and the restraining order, Karofsky was expelled from McKinley, and Kurt felt as if he could breathe slightly easier.

"I don't know, but… and I'm probably jinxing myself by saying this… I don't think we'll have anything to worry about. Or at least, not as much. Karofsky was kind of the ringleader. No one else ever touched me, and no one else was ever around when Karofsky harassed me. I'm not deluded enough to think my problems are over, but I'm cautiously optimistic that things will be better."

"I'm glad I'm not going through my first day alone."

"Nope, you won't. There will be someone from the Glee club in almost all of your classes, and everyone already loves you. They'll have your back."

Blaine smiled sweetly. "I meant you. I'm glad you're here to help me get through this day."

"Oh," Kurt said softly, and he blushed.

"I mean it. I can't believe how quickly the worst part of my life morphed into the best part of my life so far." Blaine reached across the table and took Kurt's hands in his.

"Thank you, Kurt. Thank you for saving me."

A tear came to Kurt's eye, and his lip trembled slightly. "Don't thank me. It was the coffee."


End file.
